While the application of mesophilic anammox process is currently the state of the art, the feasibility of a thermophilic anammox bioprocess is still unclear. In this study, we investigate whether ...glycine betaine (GB) addition can enhance the thermotolerance of mesophilic anammox biomass in the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors fed with synthetic wastewater at a nitrogen loading of approximately 4 kg N m
-3
d
−1
. The results showed that during a long-term operation at 45°C with GB (0, 0.1, 1, 2 mM) addition, anammox performance became worse with the final effluent concentrations of NO
2
-
N of 145 ± 11.6 mg L
−1
and nitrogen removal efficiency decreased from 92.3-6.9%. Specific anammox activity decreased from 392.1 ± 12.1-6.0 ± 0.8 mg N g
−1
VSS d
−1
, which were not significantly higher than those in the control reactor. The content of heme c showed a stronger downward trend in T
1
(with GB addition) than in the control reactor T
0
. The qPCR results showed that the relative abundance of Candidatus Kuenenia decreased in both the experimental (from 53.5-28.8%) and control reactors (from 54.1-35.1%). Overall, continuous addition of exogenous GB did not improve the thermotolerance of mesophilic anammox consortia at 45°C.
Post-stroke depression (PSD) has major implications for rehabilitation, motor recovery, activities of daily living, social and interpersonal functioning, and mortality. In view of the side effects of ...antidepressants, aromatherapy, a widely used non-pharmacological therapy, has received growing attention in recent years for its benefits of reduced complications, accessibility, and effectiveness. This study was designed to assess the effects of inhalation aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on depression and sleep quality in patients with PSD.
Forty patients with PSD were enrolled and randomized into experimental and placebo groups. Experimental-group patients inhaled microencapsulated lavender essential oil every night at bedtime over a period of 4 weeks. A nonwoven bag containing 2.3 g of microcapsules with about 1.5 g of lavender essential oil was placed on or under the patient's pillow, depending on the patient's scent sensitivity. Placebo-group patients used the empty nonwoven bags for the same period as the experimental group. The 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to measure outcomes.
The HAMD-17 score, SDS score, and PSQI score showed statistically significant differences between both groups before and after intervention (P ≤ 0.01). The improvement in the experimental group was more marked than in the placebo group (P < 0.05).
Lavender essential oil inhalation aromatherapy may help reduce depression and improve sleep quality in patients with PSD.
•Inhalation of lavender oil is effective in treating post-stroke depression (PSD).•Inhalation of lavender oil helps improve sleep quality in patients with PSD.•Inhalation aromatherapy is a promising adjuvant intervention for patients with PSD.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized the progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Brain endogenous morphine ...biosynthesis was reported to be impaired in PD patients and exogenous morphine attenuated 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced cell death
. However, the mechanisms underlying neuroprotection of morphine in PD are still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of low-dose morphine in cellular and animal models of PD and the possible underlying mechanisms. Herein, we found 6-OHDA and rotenone decreased the mRNA expression of key enzymes involved in endogenous morphine biosynthesis in SH-SY5Y cells. Incubation of morphine prevented 6-OHDA-induced apoptosis, restored mitochondrial membrane potential, and inhibited the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, morphine attenuated the 6-OHDA-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress possible by activating autophagy in SH-SY5Y cells. Finally, oral application of low-dose morphine significantly improved midbrain tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression, decreased apomorphine-evoked rotation and attenuated pain hypersensitivity in a 6-OHDA-induced PD rat model, without the risks associated with morphine addiction. Feeding of low-dose morphine prolonged the lifespan and improved the motor function in several transgenic
PD models in gender, genotype, and dose-dependent manners. Overall, our results suggest that neuroprotection of low-dose morphine may be mediated by attenuating ER stress and oxidative stress, activating autophagy, and ameliorating mitochondrial function.
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) have been widely recognized as key players in regulating blood-brain barrier (BBB) function, and their roles are unclear in ischemic stroke. Myosin phosphatase ...target subunit 1 (MYPT1) is essential for VSMC contraction and maintaining healthy vasculature. We generated VSMC-specific MYPT1 knockout (MYPT1SMKO) mice and cultured VSMCs infected with Lv-shMYPT1 to explore phenotypic switching of VSMCs and the accompanied impacts on BBB integrity. We found that MYPT1 deficiency induced phenotypic switching of synthetic VSMCs, which aggravated BBB disruption. Proteomic analysis identified evolutionarily conserved signaling intermediates in Toll pathways (ECSIT) as a downstream molecule that promotes activation of synthetic VSMCs and contributed to IL-6 expression. Knocking down ECSIT rescued phenotypic switching of VSMCs and BBB disruption. Additionally, inhibition of IL-6 decreased BBB permeability. These findings reveal that MYPT1 deficiency activated phenotypic switching of synthetic VSMCs and induced BBB disruption through ECSIT-IL-6 signaling after ischemic stroke.
Display omitted
•MYPT1 deficiency induces activation of synthetic VSMCs and aggravates BBB disruption•Synthetic VSMCs release more IL-6 to destroy BBB in a contact-independent way•MYPT1-ECSIT-IL-6 signaling pathway regulates synthetic VSMC-mediated BBB disruption
Immunology; Molecular physiology; Cell biology; Proteomics
Summary
Aims
Thioredoxin‐interacting protein (TXNIP) is associated with activation of oxidative stress through inhibition of thioredoxin (Trx). However, some evidences point out that TXNIP acts as a ...scaffolding protein in signaling complex independent of cellular redox regulation. The autophagy‐lysosomal pathway plays important roles in the clearance of misfolded proteins and dysfunctional organelles. Lysosomal dysfunction has been involved in several neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease (PD). Although researchers have reported that TXNIP inhibited autophagic flux, the specific mechanism is rarely studied.
Methods
In this study, we investigated the effects of TXNIP on autophagic flux and α‐synuclein accumulation by Western blot in HEK293 cells transfected with TXNIP plasmid. Further, we explored the influence of TXNIP on DA neuron survival in substantia nigra by IHC.
Results
We found that TXNIP induced LC3‐II expression, but failed to degrade p62, a substrate of autophagy. Also, TXNIP aggravated α‐synuclein accumulation. We also found that TXNIP inhibited the expression of ATP13A2, a lysosomal membrane protein. Moreover, we found that overexpression of ATP13A2 attenuated the impairment of autophagic flux and α‐synuclein accumulation induced by TXNIP. Furthermore, overexpression of TXNIP in substantia nigra resulted in loss of DA neuron.
Conclusion
Our data suggested that TXNIP blocked autophagic flux and induced α‐synuclein accumulation through inhibition of ATP13A2, indicating TXNIP was a disease‐causing protein in PD.
A series of binary and ternary complexes of lanthanide (Eu3+, Sm3+ and Tb3+) with salicylic acid (Hsal) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) were synthesized, and characterized by element analysis, ...coordination titration analysis, IR, UV and TG-DTA. Their compositions were (NH4)Ln(sal)4(H2O)2 (Ln=Eu (1), Sm (2), Tb (3)) and (NH4)Ln(sal)4(phen)2 (Ln=Eu (4), Sm (5), Tb (6)), respectively. In particular, the ternary complex of Eu3+, 4, was characterized by X-ray diffraction, and luminescence intensities of binary and ternary complexes were compared. In case of Eu3+ and Sm3+ complexes, ternary complexes emitted stronger luminescence than corresponding binary complexes of salicylic acid and Ln3+. On the other hand, the ternary Tb3+ complex had weaker luminescence than the binary complex because of back energy transfer from Tb3+ to phen. The CIE coordinates of 1–6 were calculated as (0.65, 0.35), (0.52, 0.48), (0.33, 0.59), (0.67, 0.33), (0.62, 0.38) and (0.36, 0.58), respectively, which enable these complexes to be promising candidates for red, green, or yellow component in OLEDs.
Patients with diabetes mellitus have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the molecular links between PD and diabetes remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the ...roles of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) in Parkin/PINK1-mediated mitophagy in dopaminergic (DA) cells under high-glucose (HG) conditions. In streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, TXNIP was upregulated and autophagy was inhibited in the midbrain, while the loss of DA neurons was accelerated by hyperglycemia. In cultured PC12 cells under HG, TXNIP expression was upregulated and the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels increased, leading to cell death. Autophagic flux was further blocked and PINK1 expression was decreased under HG conditions. Parkin expression in the mitochondrial fraction and carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP)-induced co-localization of COX IV (marker for mitochondria) and LAMP1 (marker for lysosomes) were also significantly decreased by HG. Overexpression of TXNIP was sufficient to decrease the expression of both PINK1 and Parkin in PC12 cells, while knockdown of the expression of TXNIP by siRNA decreased intracellular ROS and attenuated cellular injury under HG. Moreover, inhibition of TXNIP improved the CCCP-induced co-localization of COX IV and LAMP1 in PC12 cells under HG. Together, these results suggest that TXNIP regulates Parkin/PINK1-mediated mitophagy under HG conditions, and targeting TXNIP may be a promising therapeutic strategy for reducing the risk of PD under hyperglycemic conditions.
•Anammox performance under different transient stresses was investigated.•The reactor exhibited different responses to different shocks.•Specific anammox activity under various shocks was ...monitored.•Effects of different shocks were compared.•System stability and recovery under the transient shock loads were discussed.
Factors such as substrate fluctuations, increased inflow rates and heavy metal presence exert individual and combined effects on anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) systems in real applications; therefore, the performance stability and resilience of such systems were investigated in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. A 1.5- and 2.0-fold increase in substrate concentration, 2/3- and 1/2-fold decrease in hydraulic retention time (HRT), and 5.95 and 12.9mgL−1 transient Cu(II) shock were applied either individually or in combination for durations of 2 and 4h. The nitrogen removal efficiency of the system varied considerably when all of the shocks were applied. The magnitude of the effect of the combined shock loads on the system decreased in the following order: (substrate shock+hydraulic shock)>(substrate shock+heavy metal shock)>(hydraulic shock+heavy metal shock). The specific anammox activity (SAA) was adversely affected by the individual substrate and hydraulic shocks, with maximum SAA loss rates of 51.9% and 63.6%, respectively. The SAA was inhibited by the substrate and hydraulic shock combination, whereas it was not strongly affected by the heavy metal and hydraulic shock combination. Thus, the system could withstand certain shock intensities and exhibited considerable resilience.
Display omitted
► Butyl-glycidylether-modified poly(propylene imine) dendrimers are successfully prepared. ► They, as novel hardeners, have high reactivity and can well cure epoxy resin ...nonisothermally. ► The Šesták–Berggren model can generally well simulate the epoxy reaction rates. ► The model-free isoconversional kinetic analysis are performed with the Vyazovkin method. ► Influences of the hardeners on curing behaviors and thermal properties of the epoxy are revealed.
Novel butyl-glycidylether-modified poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers (PPIs) are prepared by reacting butyl glycidylether with PPI, which turn out to be able to cure bisphenol-A epoxy resin to an acceptable reaction extent. The nonisothermal reactions, dynamic mechanical properties and thermal stabilities of their cured epoxy resin are comparatively investigated with DSC, DMA and TGA, respectively. The model-fitting kinetic study demonstrates that Šesták–Berggren model can generally well simulate the reaction rates, and the isoconversional kinetic analysis with the Vyazovkin method indicates the curing agents, particularly their setric hindrance and the number of the –OH groups attached, greatly affect reaction kinetic schemes. Increasing the number of the BGE substituents attached to PPIs decreases the reactivity, glass- and beta-relaxation temperatures and thermal stability of the resulting epoxy systems, yet the intensity and width of the glass relaxation increase. This work offers a unique way of preparing modified-aliphatic-polyamine curing agents, and provides an opportunity to better learn about the amine-adduct curing agents which are widely used in room-temperature-cure epoxy coatings and adhesives from these good model compounds.
Highly luminescent Eu‐containing copolymers were synthesized through the copolymerization of Eu‐complex monomer featuring TTA and 5‐acryloxyethoxymethyl‐8‐hydroxyquinoline with MMA, and characterized ...by FT‐IR, UV–Vis, GPC, TGA, and DSC. The results indicated that the copolymers have not only a good solubility, thermal stability, and high glass transition temperatures, but also an intense red emission at 612 nm, corresponding to the 5D0 → 7F2 transition of Eu(III) ions under UV excitation. Compared with the Eu‐complex monomer, the Eu‐copolymers exhibited much higher luminescence lifetimes and efficiencies. Moreover, the luminescence intensities of the copolymers were much higher than those of the Eu‐complex/poly(methyl methacrylate) blend system at the same Eu content, and increased nearly linearly with an increase in the Eu content within 5.33 wt.‐%, and no significant concentration quenching phenomenon was observed at the Eu content up to 10.72 wt.‐%. In the blend system, however, the linear relationship between the luminescence intensity and Eu content was observed within 3.30 wt.‐%, and then the blend system showed typical emission concentration quenching on further increase in the Eu content. The improvement of the luminescence properties for the copolymers may be attributed to the special microenvironment, in which the Eu‐complex units are uniformly bonded to and surrounded by the polymer chain. These excellent photoluminescence properties may enable the novel copolymers to be used as pure red‐emitting materials.
A highly luminescent Eu‐complex monomer featuring thenoyltrifluoroacetone and 5‐acryloxyethoxymethyl‐8‐hydroxyquinoline was first designed and synthesized, which was then further copolymerized with methyl methacrylate to prepare Eu‐containing copolymers. The copolymers exhibit typical intense luminescence of the Eu(III) ions even at low Eu content. Furthermore, these polymer luminophors can be cast into clear thin films with good thermal and moisture stable properties.
PDF
